Man United takeover talk grows with the 'best news' from Saudi official

Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe spoke about the future of the football club prior to the Saudi government official making a cryptic takeover comment

Saudi government official and chairman of the General Entertainment Authority Turki Al-Sheikh has fuelled speculation surrounding a Manchester United takeover after claiming that he has heard the club is 'in an advanced stage' of being sold to new investors.

On Christmas Eve 2023, United confirmed that Sir Jim Ratcliffe had won the race to invest in the club. Despite initial hopes from the fanbase that it would be a majority takeover, Ineos settled to purchase a minority stake which gave them control of the football project.

Since February 2024, Ratcliffe and co. have been making decisions on the football side of the club. While some decisions, like the appointment of Jason Wilcox and Omar Berrada have been heralded as successes, cost-cutting measures and the pursuit of Dan Ashworth before cutting ties after less than six months have damaged the perception of Ratcliffe with some sections of the fanbase.

In a surprising move on Wednesday night, Al-Sheikh, who is best known for his work in boxing and helping to create super fights, expressed his delight at news of a potential takeover at United. "The best news I heard today is that Manchester United is now in an advanced stage of completing a deal to sell to a new investor," he wrote on X.

"I hope he’s better than the previous owners." At this stage, there has been no suggestion that the Glazers were preparing to sell their stake in United.

However, back in May it was reported that the Glazers could now activate their 'drag along' rights. This means that the majority investor can sell the entirety of the club without the minority investor, in this case Ratcliffe, blocking them.

This is a common clause in the business world and its aim is to stop minority investors from holding the majority owner to ransom by refusing to sell their stake. Speaking on The Business Podcast, produced by The Times and The Sunday Times, this week, Ratcliffe made no suggestion that his time at Old Trafford was coming to an end.

"If you look at our results for last year we have the highest revenues ever. Profitability, the second highest ever," he explained.

"We're not seeing all the benefits of the restructuring that we've done in this set of results, and we were not in the Champions League. Those numbers will get better.

"Manchester United will become the most profitable football club in the world, in my view, and from that will stem, I hope, a long-term, sustainable, high-level of football." Ratcliffe also insisted that the Glazers have not told him to sack Ruben Amorim who has endured a mixed start to the Premier League campaign.

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